Vendors earn more than they dreamed of in Nakhon Si Thammarat

Sales of Jatukarm Ramathep amulets are thriving in Nakhon Si Thammarat's Muang district, with many sellers earning more money than they ever dreamed of.
Duangchanok Amornsak closed down her traditional dance school in August last year and began trading Jatukarm Ramathep talismans.
She admits to making a good profit as demand for the amulets _ which are priced from 199 to 150,000 baht _ has surged. She also sells T-shirts bearing the image of the talisman, and books and pictures.
"I used to get about 10,000 baht a month as a dance teacher. Now I earn from 100,000 to 200,000 baht a month from selling the amulets," she said.
Stalls selling the amulets are on almost every road in downtown Muang district. Although the amulets were introduced in the province 20 years ago, Ms Duangchanok believes their popularity jumped only recently, with the funeral of Pol Maj-Gen Khun Phantharak Rajadej, a well-respected local aristocrat.
Thousands of people flocked to the cremation of Khun Phantharak to obtain the amulets, which were distributed by his children as keepsakes.
Sales of the amulets have stimulated the local economy, putting an estimated 100 million baht into circulation.
Pailin Arunjit also quit her job to become a talisman vendor.
Ms Pailin said she invested 30,000 baht to open her business three months ago. Now she earns about 100,000 baht a month.
"I had never thought that I would have what I have today. My monthly salary as a department store worker was a few thousand baht," she said, adding that she is now able to pay off her debts.
Ms Duangchanok said she believed the talisman would sell well for the next two to three years before dying down, as was "the law of nature".
She personally believed in the magical powers of Jatukarm Ramathep and had various versions of the amulets in stock.
"I don't try to persuade anyone to believe me or to buy the talismans from me. There is no point in owning the amulet but not behaving well. Jatukarm Ramathep will only protect decent people, bringing them good luck," she said.
The amulets comprise a group of talismans with images of a deity and symbols dating back to the ancient Malay kingdom of Srivijaya, of which Nakhon Si Thammarat was a part.
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Jatukarm amulets good news for papers

WORANUJ MANEERUNGSEE

The Jatukarm Ramathep craze has brought good fortune to the country's newspapers, which recorded 10.47% growth in advertising spending in July due almost entirely to the amulets. The results for newspapers were among the few bright spots for the ad industry, which recorded total spending growth of just 1.93% in July and a decline of 0.04% year-on-year for the first seven months, said Nielsen Media Research.

Under spending by brand, Nielsen lists ''Wat-Thu-Mong-Kol'' or ''sacred objects'' as having spent 111.54 million baht on advertising in July _ 14 times more than was spent in July last year. For the first seven months of the year, the category accounted for 465.78 million baht, against 69.35 million a year earlier.

The only brand that spent more was Pond's facial skin-care products, at 478.52 million baht. Trailing the amulets were traditional heavyweights including Oil of Olay, Coke, M-150 energy drinks, Toyota, DTAC, AIS, Breeze detergent and Colgate toothpaste.

Mass-market Thai-language papers received the lion's share of the amulet ads but the party appears to be over. The law of supply and demand has caught up with the amulets and their prices have fallen like a stone. Some can now be had for five baht each or even bought in bulk.
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